afrinpost-exclusive
Following the takeover of Al-Ziyara village in southeastern Afrin by the Turkish-backed “Joint Forces” militia, horrific violations have been reported against men, women, and children.
In an audio recording sent by several women from the village, the extent of these abuses became evident. One woman recounted her ordeal for afrinpost, saying, “I was physically assaulted by militia members. They pointed a weapon at my chest and forced me to go with them. Hours later, they returned me to my home, but I cannot talk about what happened.” Her husband had also been detained for days during this time.
Another woman, seemingly in her fifties, described the pervasive fear gripping the village: “If no one comes to help us, we will die. We cannot live in this terror anymore—terror of rape and death. Our children can’t sleep, and our young men have fled to avoid being killed or kidnapped.”
The women mentioned their long wait for a humanitarian convoy that was supposed to arrive at the village. On the day they received news of the convoy’s expected arrival, 10 women gathered in the village square near the bakery, but their hopes were shattered when the convoy never came. Instead, militia members arrived and abducted the women.
At least 10 women have been taken to Afrin, and their fate remains unknown. A senior woman in the village said, “We tried to contact people in Afrin to learn about their whereabouts, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find anything. Their lives are in danger.”
A younger woman recounted the brutal assault on her family. Her husband was beaten and detained, while her children were tortured. “They burned the hand of my infant and threatened to kill my husband and his brother in front of us,” she said. “Every day, they come to our house and threaten us with murder. They assaulted my body and tortured my children. We are in hell.”
She concluded her message with a desperate plea: “If another convoy doesn’t come to evacuate us, we will die.” She added that the militia had confiscated her phone, and she was speaking from a neighbor’s device, warning, “We only have a few hours left; otherwise, consider us dead.”
Reports indicate that the Syrian National Army (SNA) militias have kidnapped dozens of women and subjected them to severe abuses. Human rights organizations have called for urgent investigations into these crimes and demanded that the perpetrators be held accountable.
